Zephyren has always been hyperaware of his surroundings - when this effect is active he's so supernaturally high-strung that he doesn't ever seem to stop moving, even when his feet are planted on the ground. This somehow keeps him safer from attacks, though in this feverous anxiety, he isn't able to do much else.
On protective measures:
Quick decisions save lives, and Zephyren's decision is to panic and flitter around like a bird with clipped wings. It's not that noticeable but people can probably see it if they look hard enough. It varies in effectiveness each time, and he's not happy being put into such a turbulent state of inertia, but what can he do about it? This is all just to survive. Can't fulfill his promises to himself if he's dead.
On fevers:
Zephyren always feels like he has a fever whenever he gets anxious - his face heats up to the point even he can feel it, and he knows that his face must be incredibly red. It feels like he's in a dream, a trance, he's not really in control of himself, but he sees everything happening and it's all incredibly overwhelming.
On inertia:
Is it because he recently learned of this term, or is it because a phoenix's cycle is in perpetual motion? Is this a manifestation of that? He doesn't like this one bit.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action. Roll Perception + Occult at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around yourself, which absorbs the next Outcome +6 Damage. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
The barrier will fall after two hours, or if it absorbs the full amount of Damage. When a barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds.
Mr. Higgins begins to perform a song so powerful you can see the notes fly out of his instrument and coalesce into an animal made of music and that good country vibes that can protect anyone within it. the animal can take any shape
think naruto karuma biju and scot pilgrim in that one band scene
Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction. You must actively and obviously use a musical instrument that can be heard to activate this Effect. Roll Charisma + Performance at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a Barrier extending out 15 feet from yourself, which absorbs 2 times the next (Outcome +2) Damage. Only applies to attacks which originated outside the 15 foot radius, and protects anyone who is within that radius. Any Damage absorbed by the barrier is reflected back to the attacker, up to a maximum of 2. Their Armor applies in full. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, or if it absorbs the full amount of Damage. When a barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds.
A blue octahedron shield erects around the user in a 15 foot radius.
Exert your Mind (unless you win a coin flip) and spend an Action or Reaction. Roll Brawn + Alertness at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a Barrier extending out 15 feet from yourself, which absorbs 2 times the next Outcome + 2 Damage. Only applies to attacks which originated outside the 15 foot radius, and protects anyone who is within that radius. Any Damage absorbed by the barrier is reflected back to the attacker, up to a maximum of the Barrier Strength Parameter’s bonus. Their Armor applies in full. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. This Artifact may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, or if it absorbs the full amount of Damage. When a barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds.
Cornelius Valentine channels the divine power accumulated within his body to create a glowing pink shield which will guard his target so long as he can maintain it. The shield is capable of rapidly repairing itself, allowing it to easily withstand any weaker blows.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action to activate. Select a Animate target within arm's reach. Roll Charisma + Influence at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a Barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome Damage. The Damage reduction from the Barrier is applied before Armor, and is treated like Armor by any effects such as Armor Penetration. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The Barrier will fall if you are interrupted, or if it absorbs the full amount of damage. When a Barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds. As long as it does not fall, the barrier regenerates back to full strength at the end of each Round of combat.
Pale glowing outline around a person protected by the barrier. If person protected by the barrier is hit, the place where he was hit glows more brightly briefly, before going back to normal. If barrier is broken, the outline itself seems to shatter.
Many scholars of occult ran into a problem of not being able to put up a powerful enough barrier, either due to low mana capacity, low mana throughtput, troubles with concentration, or all three at the same time. But what if instead of creating one strong barrier, you just created multiple weak ones in several layers?
Of course, you could always run into a problem of creating a barrier too weak to fully protect against any significant attack, and you are sacrificing some of the advantages of single-layer barrier, like it restoring itself to full power every three-five seconds, or being able to create one in a split second if necessary. On the other hand, you receive what is effectively a barrier which does not requires your full focus to keep it functioning, and can be created even if you aren't the most capable magic-wise, and will be able to provide at least some level of protection against any attack, unless you manage to completely botch the rite
Exert your Mind and Spend an Action to activate. Select a Animate target within arm's reach. Roll Intellect + Occult at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a Barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome Damage. The Damage reduction from the Barrier is applied before Armor, and is treated like Armor by any effects such as Armor Penetration. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
The Barrier will fall after an hour, or if it absorbs the full amount of damage. When a Barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds.
The baseball bat slammed into Vito's stomach with little fanfare, striking with the sound of slamming into a steel wall rather than the splintering of bone. A sinister smile crawled across the Elvis impersonator's lips, rather than the usual expected cries of agony.
At once, a torrent of sharp nails burst forth from the jacket that he wore, impaling the attacker with dozens of missiles.
Expend a point of Battery and spend an Action or Reaction. Roll Perception + Alertness at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around yourself, which absorbs the next Outcome + 4 Damage. Any Damage absorbed by the barrier is reflected back to the attacker, up to a maximum of the Barrier Strength Parameter’s bonus. Their Armor applies in full. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. This Artifact may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, or if it absorbs the full amount of Damage. When a barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds.
By focusing and whispering a prayer under their breath, the priest may invoke their god to protect those who have good works left to do.
Exert your Mind and spend an Action or Reaction. Select a Animate target within 20 feet. This Effect cannot be used unless the target is a living human. Roll a single d10, Difficulty 4. If you fail or botch, the Effect fails and you cannot activate it again for an hour. Roll Charisma + Occult at Difficulty 6.
If you succeed, you create a barrier around your target, which absorbs the next Outcome +2 Damage. The Damage reduction from the barrier is applied before Armor. You may only have 1 active barrier at a time.
You must maintain Concentration while using this Effect. The barrier will fall if you are interrupted, or if it absorbs the full amount of Damage. When a barrier falls, you cannot use this Effect again for a minimum of 2 Rounds.
This Effect is not obvious, and the only sign you are using an Effect is you whispering a prayer under your breath. If someone suspects that an Effect was used, they must roll Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 8 to pick up on your Tell.